Method in poker related card games

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method within a poker related card game, for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, the method comprising the steps of randomly selecting 25 cards out of a deck of cards, arranging said 25 selected cards in five rows of five cards each, forming a matrix of five rows and five columns, identifying among the arranged 25 cards a set of poker hands of consecutive cards arranged horizontally, vertically or diagonally, evaluating the rank of each of said identified poker hands, and awarding to the player a prize amount for each poker hand that has a rank equal to or higher than a threshold poker hand. This method brings the advantages by providing a multiple of simultaneous poker hands to a player, where the poker hands are enabled to be random.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention in general relates to poker related card games and in particular to a method for providing a plurality of simultaneous poker hands in a poker related card game.

BACKGROUND

The interest in poker games or poker related games remains constantly high and can even increase further.

There are many different interfaces for a poker player to play a poker game. The player can play against a bank, by using a one-armed bandit, live at a casino or by using an electronic game supported by a computer device. Scratch tickets may also be used for a player playing against a bank. A poker game may of course also be played player versus player. The number of participating players is in practice limited by the number of cards as comprised in a single deck of cards.

In most poker card games each player has one hand of cards each, simply being the number of cards in his or her hand.

By US patent application US2009/0191938 A1 a terminal based lottery game having a slot machine theme is disclosed. This game provides a panel of three rows of five slot positions each, for which the slot positions may present one card each. From five cards positioned in the five different slot positions poker hands can be created, either horizontally or by forming

or

poker hands. A set of cards are assigned to each slot position, wherein the assignments are unknown to the game player. For each slot position a system randomly selects a card from each set of cards, forming poker hands of five cards.

There is a drawback that sets of cards are assigned to slot positions, the reason being that the number of different poker hands is restrained since there exits a preassignment of which cards can show up in each slot position. The selection of cards is preassigned and at most pseudo-random.

There is hence a need to present an alternative to a poker related card game, providing a multiple of possible poker hands which are formed from random selection of cards.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a method within a poker related card game for delivering an enhanced excitement to a player for each deal of cards, in the poker related card game.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method within a poker related card game for providing a set of poker hands to a player. The method comprises the steps of randomly selecting 25 cards out of a deck of cards and arranging said 25 selected cards in five rows of five cards each, forming a matrix of five rows and five columns. Thereafter, a set of poker hands among the arranged 25 cards of consecutive cards arranged horizontally, vertically or diagonally are identified. Subsequently, the method comprises evaluating the rank of each of said identified poker hands, and awarding to the player a prize amount for each poker hand that has a rank equal to or higher than a threshold poker hand.

The method brings the advantage of providing a game that is easy to learn since it is based on standard poker rankings.

Another advantage of at least some embodiments of the present invention is that the method presents a set of random poker hands to a player, avoiding the gloominess of a game in which each poker hand in reality is selected from a limited number of preassigned card combinations.

Yet another advantage is that at least some embodiments of the present invention provides an increased number of simultaneous poker hands to a player, avoiding the bore of a game presenting only few simultaneous poker hands to a player.

It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when being used in the specification is taken to specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to explain the invention and the advantages and features thereof in more detail, embodiments will be described below, references being made to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIGS. 1A-C illustrates a 5×5 matrix of arranged cards according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 each presents a flowchart illustrating method steps according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A-C schematically present a 5×5 matrix during various stages of gaming according to some embodiments of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically present a 5×5 matrix during stages of gaming according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As mentioned above, the object of the present invention is to provide a method within a poker related card game for delivering an enhanced excitement to a player for each deal of cards, in the poker related card game.

The problem of providing a random selection of multiple poker hands, which the teachings of the prior art document US2009/0191938 A1 fails to solve, can know be solved. By providing truly random selection of cards in each position, and by providing a 5×5 matrix layout, a vast number of consecutive cards are now eligible as poker hands, enhancing the excitement to a player for each deal of cards, in the poker related card games according to the present invention.

Since the problem is solved and multiple simultaneous poker hands which are randomized can be presented the player, the methods to be presented below are useful to a player seeking an enhanced excitement when playing a poker related card game.

The embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures. Reference will be made to FIGS. 1A-C and 2, illustrating a 5×5 matrix of arranged cards and a flowchart illustrating method steps, respectively, according to various embodiments of the present invention.

The poker related card game may start by randomly selecting 25 cards from a deck of cards, step 202. The deck of card is typically randomized so that when picking a card from the top of the deck, a random card will actually be picked. Needless to say the cards characters may have any value of Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King or Ace, the colors being Spade, Heart, Club or Diamond.

In step 204 the selected 25 cards can be arranged in a 5×5 matrix.

FIG. 1A illustrates the 5×5 matrix 100, having five columns 102 and five rows 104 forming the 5×5 matrix 100. Each row has five cards 106, and each column has five cards 106, together forming the matrix of 25 cards, 106.

The matrix is typically presented with five horizontal rows and five vertical columns. However, the matrix may be tilted and presented as a 5×5 diamond pattern, having five parallel diagonal lines of five positions each. However, for simplicity and clarity, the 5×5 matrix will hereinafter be presented as oriented horizontally-vertically, as for example illustrated in FIG. 1A.

The 25 cards can be selected from a deck of cards comprising 52 cards in total. Alternatively, a full deck of cards may in addition comprise a joker card, making the total deck of cards comprising 53 cards. In the case a joker card is presented in the 5×5 matrix, this joker card can represent any one of the remaining 28 cards of the deck of cards which have not been selected and arranged in the 5×5 matrix.

Having arranged said 25 cards in a 5×5 matrix, the following step in the method for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, is the step of identifying a set of poker hands of consecutive cards in the 5×5 matrix, step 206.

FIG. 1B illustrates the 5×5 matrix of 25 randomly selected and arranged cards. In addition, a few examples of possible poker hands are indicated. The eligible poker hands comprise 5 poker hands from the five vertical columns, 5 horizontal poker hands from the five rows and 2 diagonal poker hands from the 2 diagonal lines. In FIG. 1B, the vertical poker hands are represented by a vertical line 108, whereas the horizontal poker hands are represented by a horizontal line 110 and the diagonal poker hands by a diagonal line 112.

FIG. 1C illustrates the indicated poker hands according to some embodiments presenting vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines along which five consecutive cards can form a poker hand, together forming 12 poker hands.

Having identified the number of poker hands in step 206, the following step is evaluating the rank of each one of said identified poker hands. In this step it is evaluated whether one or more of the identified poker hands comprise any one of the Poker franchise card combinations of Royal Straight Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a kind, Full house, Flush, Straight, Three of a kind, two pairs and pair.

In the case one or more of these Poker franchise card combinations are identified, it is evaluated whether they are higher than or equal to a threshold poker hand. According to some embodiments this threshold poker hand is any three of a kind poker hand,

According to some other embodiments, the threshold value may be a “two pairs” poker hand. Other threshold poker hands are however also contemplated, for instance “pair”, according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

It shall be mentioned that each poker hand of five consecutive cards may be read in two directions being opposite in relation to each other. For instance, a horizontal poker hand may be read from left to right or from right to left. For a diagonal poker hand, the two directions of reading may be from the upper left corner to the lower right corner, or from the lower right corner to the upper left corner.

It should however be emphasized that the ranking of a poker hand is however independent of the direction of reading a poker hand.

If one or more of the identified poker hands are higher than or equally strong compared to the threshold poker hand, a price will be awarded to the player according to evaluated rank for each of the identified poker hands, in step 210. In the case two poker hands have been identified to be equally high as, or higher than, the threshold poker in step 208, the player can be awarded a price for each one of these two poker hands.

In the following various embodiments of the method for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, of the poker related card game will be presented.

With reference to FIG. 3 a flow chart of method steps of some embodiments of the present invention is illustrated.

This method may start by step 302, of randomly selecting 25 cards from a deck of cards. This step may be similar to step 202, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In step 304, said the randomly selected 25 cards from step 302, are arranged according to a 5×5 matrix.

In the next step, step 306, the arranged 25 cards are presented to a player. Here, each card is presented in such a way such that the character of each presented card is concealed from the player.

In FIG. 4A, a 5×5 matrix 410 is illustrated with 25 cards wherein the character of each card 412 is concealed from the player. The diagonal line across each card represents a card of which the character is concealed from a player.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, one realization of the poker related card game is a scratch ticket, having a 5×5 matrix of concealed cards.

Upon receiving player input in step 308, in the form of scarping off a concealing material from said scratch ticket, such as rubber or any other material that conceals the character of each card for the naked eye and which can easily be scratched away from each card, the character of each scratched card is revealed, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

The result of receipt of player input for some individual cards, according to step S-402 is presented in FIG. 4B. The 5×5 matrix 414 illustrates that a few cards 416 have revealed characters whereas other cards 418 have not yet been scratched. The cards which not yet have been subject to scraping off the concealing material, remain concealing the character from the player. FIG. 4B thus presents a matrix 414 of arranged cards, wherein only a subset of cards has been scratched.

Upon receiving additional player input in the form of receiving scraping off the concealing material for the remaining non-concealed cards, according to step S-404, the 5×5 matrix 420 can thus present the 25 cards 422 with revealed characters. This is illustrated in FIG. 4C.

According to some alternative embodiments of the present invention, the character of each card as presented in a 5×5 matrix may be concealed from the player by other means than being covered by a concealing material such as rubber or the like.

In step 306 the cards according to said alternative embodiments are also concealed from the player, as also disclosed by FIG. 4A.

However, in a realization of a system for running the method for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, the matrix of 25 arranged cards may be presented to a player using a man-machine interface, such as screen, a display, a touch-screen or some other information presentation device.

In the case the step 308 of receiving player input within such a realization comprises detecting electronically clicking, via for instance detecting clicking, from an electronic player input device, such as a player-controlled mouse, at a card or detecting touching on a touch-screen at a card, the character for each clicked card can be revealed.

Thus, the character of each card may be revealed by receiving scarping off a concealing material from the card according to some embodiments, or by detecting electronically clicking at the card position on a man-machine interface, according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

The subsequent step of the method for providing multiple poker hands may be identifying a set of 12 poker hands of consecutive cards arranged vertically, horizontally, or diagonally in the 5×5 matrix, step 310.

Evaluating the rank of each identified poker hand relative to a threshold poker hand such as any three of a kind poker hand, may then be performed in step 312,

The threshold poker hand may alternatively be a two-pair poker hand, or may even be a single pair poker hand.

Having evaluated the rank of the identified poker hands, awarding a price to the player can then be performed in step 314, of FIG. 3. The price may be awarded according to the evaluated rank for each identified poker hand equal to or higher than the threshold poker hand from step 312.

According to additional embodiments of the present invention, method steps of a method within a poker related card game, for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, will now be presented. Reference will be made to FIGS. 5A-B and 6, illustrating 5×5 matrices of cards and a flow chart of method steps, respectively.

The method for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player according to some embodiments comprises steps 602, receiving player input by an electronic player input device by detecting receipt of start playing game signal. The player can for instance insert a coin, press a “play” button or click on a certain icon in a prepaid mode, wherein the“play” button and the icon may be presented by an information presentation device, or the like to provide a start signal to the game.

One of possible realizations of these embodiments may be a slot machine, by which detection of insertion of a coin or the receipt of electronically clicking triggers the poker related card game to start.

The following step can be randomly selecting 25 cards from a deck of cards in step 604. The selected 25 cards are arranged in a five times five matrix, i.e. 5×5 matrix, in step 606.

Presenting the 25 cards in the matrix to a player is done in step 608, revealing the character of each card to the player, step 608. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the cards are thus presented face up revealing the character of each card subsequent to the receipt of a start signal in step 602.

In practice, when a player is about to start playing the game using a slot machine, the player may be presented a 5×5 matrix by the slot machine. This is typically the 5×5 matrix of arranged cards from an earlier game, and can typically no longer be played.

Such a 5×5 matrix of cards that are presented face up but which can not be played is illustrated in FIG. 5A. Each card in FIG. 5A with a diagonal line represents a card presented face up but which character pertains to a previous game that no longer can be played.

In step S-502, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, player input is received in the form of detecting “start playing game” being relevant for all cards.

In FIG. 5B a 5×5 matrix of cards 516 where all cards are presented face up with the character for the present game revealed. These cards are therefore “on play”, in contrast to the characters of the cards 512 as presented in FIG. 5A.

So, after having presented the 25 cards in the matrix to the player and revealing the character of each card of the present game, as performed in step 608 and as described above, the following step concerns identifying poker hands.

In step 610 a set of 12 poker hands of five consecutive cards arranged horizontally, vertically or diagonally, are identified.

According to some embodiments, each diagonal poker hand comprises one card in each column and in each row. According to alternative embodiments diagonal poker hands could comprise various

- or

-shaped hands. Such angled or broken diagonal may be formed along 2, 3 or 4 diagonal lines. In each such broken poker hand of five consecutive cards, the cards must comprise one card from each row or each column.

In step 612, the rank of each identified poker hand is evaluated. This can be done relative to any two-pair poker hand or a subset of two-pair poker hands. It can alternatively be done relative to any three of a kind poker hand or a subset of three of a kind poker hands. According to some other embodiments the threshold poker hand can comprise any pair poker hand.

Awarding the player a price according to the evaluated rank for each identified poker hand equal to or higher than the threshold poker hand as mentioned under step 612, is executed in step 614.

As far as realizations go, according to some embodiments a method for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player in a poker related card game may be executed and hence the game played individually by a single player against a bank.

The game may also be by a scratch card, by which the player plays against an indirect bank, wherefrom the player may be awarded a price.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a player may play the poker related game electronically using any kind of computer-related interface, allowing detection of player input to the game.

The game may alternatively be played using a slot machine, according to some embodiments.

It can be noted that a player can either insert a coin into a slot machine, buy a scratch ticket or in any other way pay for accessing the game. The money accumulated may be transferred directly or indirectly to a bank, enabling awarding the player a price amount.

It is thus easy to understand that at least some of the embodiments of the present invention come with a number of advantages of which one is providing a game that is easy to learn since it is based on standard poker rankings.

Another advantage of at least some embodiments of the present invention is that the method presents a set of multiple poker hands to a player, avoiding the gloominess of a game proving only a limited number poker hand to its player. 

1. A method for one or more poker related card game realizations, for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, the method comprising the steps of: randomly selecting 25 cards out of a deck of cards, arranging said 25 selected cards in five rows of five cards each, forming a matrix of five rows and five columns, identifying among the arranged 25 cards a set of poker hands of consecutive cards arranged horizontally, vertically or along a straight diagonal of the formed matrix, evaluating the rank of each of said identified poker hands, and awarding to the player a prize amount for each poker hand that has a rank equal to or higher than a threshold poker hand, wherein the character of each card in the step of arranging, is concealed from the player, and further comprising presenting each card on a presentation device of a poker related card game realization revealing the character of any of the 25 cards based on input as received from the player.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of randomly selecting 25 cards is based on receiving input from the player.
 5. (canceled)
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input as received from the player comprises detecting electronically clicking for each card, from an electronic player input device as operated by the player.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input as received from the player comprises detecting electronically clicking, from an electronic player input device of a computer system realization.
 8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the input as received from the player comprises receiving a starting game instruction via an electronic player input device of a slot machine realization.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying comprises identifying one or more poker hands of consecutive cards arranged diagonally in the matrix along a straight line.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying comprises identifying one or more poker hands of five consecutive cards arranged diagonally in a “zigzag” pattern in the matrix.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold poker hand in the step of awarding comprises a three of a kind card combination.
 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold poker hand in the step of awarding comprises a two-pair card combination.
 13. A method for one or more poker related card game realizations, for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, the method comprising the steps of: randomly selecting 25 cards out of a deck of cards, arranging said 25 selected cards in five rows of five cards each, forming a matrix of five rows and five columns, identifying among the arranged 25 cards a set of poker hands of consecutive cards arranged horizontally, vertically or along a straight diagonal of the formed matrix, evaluating the rank of each of said identified poker hands, and awarding to the player a prize amount for each poker hand that has a rank equal to or higher than a threshold poker hand, wherein the character of each card in the step of arranging, is concealed from the player, and further comprising presenting each card on a presentation device of a poker related card game realization revealing the character of each card based on input as received from the player, wherein the input as received from the player comprises scraping off a concealing material from each card of a scratch ticket realization of the presentation device.
 14. A method for one or more poker related card game realizations using a computer-related interface for providing a set of randomized poker hands to a player, the method comprising the steps of: randomly selecting 25 cards out of a deck of cards, arranging said 25 selected cards in five rows of five cards each, forming a matrix of five rows and five columns, identifying among the arranged 25 cards a set of poker hands of consecutive cards arranged horizontally, vertically or along a straight diagonal of the formed matrix, evaluating the rank of each of said identified poker hands, and awarding to the player a prize amount for each poker hand that has a rank equal to or higher than a threshold poker hand, wherein the character of each card in the step of arranging, is concealed from the player, and further comprising presenting each card on a presentation device of a poker related card game realization revealing the character of any of the 25 cards based on input as received from the player.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the card game realization is provided as a set of executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium to carry out the steps of selecting, arranging, identifying, evaluating and awarding. 